Congressman Ron Paul, R-Surfside Beach, filed papers yesterday to run for president. This would be the second run for Paul, who previously ran in 1988 as the nominee of the Libertarian Party. Paul, an obstetrician, has a long political career: He served in Congress in the Seventies and Eighties before his presidential run, and returned to Congress in 1997. Although he is running as a Republican, his votes are consistently what one would expect of a Libertarian. As such, Paul will have an uphill battle for the Republican nomination; although he has had no trouble keeping his seat in District 14 (which covers most of the northern Gulf Coast), his maverick votes have not set well with the Bush-loyal, more theocratic members of the party – especially his fierce opposition to the Iraq war and the PATRIOT Act.
This article appears in January 12 • 2007.